Insurers steer Ga. patients toward ER alternatives

Three years ago, an ER copay was around $100; today, it's closer to $200, and more insurers are declining claims for nonemergency uses of the ER

ATLANTA — Blue Cross Blue Shield maps out less expensive way to get treatment.

Each year, hospitals provide billions of dollars in emergency room care to patients who could be treated in less costly settings such as urgent care centers — exacerbating rising health care costs for medical providers, insurers and consumers alike.

The comments below are member-generated and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of EMS1.com or its staff. If you cannot see comments, try disabling privacy and ad blocking plugins in your browser. All comments must comply with our Member Commenting Policy.

EMS1 is revolutionizing the way in which the EMS community finds relevant news, identifies important training information, interacts with each other and researches product purchases and suppliers. It has become the most comprehensive and trusted online destination for prehospital and emergency medical services.